268. Going Viral: How To Balance Authenticity and Spectacle

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

Education, Business, Career Skills, Careers, Influence, Communication, Career, Communicating, Language Learning, Leadership, Improv, Public Speaking, Career Growth

4.7 • 805 Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How to communicate who you are online.

You may not think of yourself as a content creator, but in the creator economy, Angèle Christin says we all have to learn how to communicate who we are online.

Christin is an associate professor of communications at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. According to her, “we are all content creators now.” We may not all be influencers or podcast hosts, but “We are all putting content out there and creating a public persona,” says Christin. In the digital age, “that plays an increasingly important role in hiring, promotions, and of course, getting laid off.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christin and host Matt Abrahams explore how to navigate the creator economy — whether as a full-time influencer or a professional managing your online presence. From building on your area of expertise to understanding the trade-offs between short-term hype and long-term trust, Christin explains what it takes to show up online without losing yourself in the algorithm.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:13) - Why Metrics Reward Drama
(05:40) - Building A Professional Online Presence
(09:57) - What Makes A Good Story?
(13:46) - The Reality Of Creator Work
(17:56) - The Final Three Question
(21:06) - Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, Matt here with two ways to get deeper guidance and advice that can help your communication.
0:05.0	First, check out our February newsletter to learn how to avoid a big nonverbal mirroring trap.
0:10.4	And subscribe on our LinkedIn page or at FasterSmarter.io slash resources newsletter.
0:17.3	Second, our friends at Kindle have a special offer running on my Think Faster Talk Smarter eBook.
0:23.6	You can get a copy for less than $3. Go to Kindle to check it out. Happy learning and thanks for
0:30.0	listening. Now a word from our sponsors. Their support covers the cost of production so we can
0:35.4	bring you quality content free of charge.
0:38.7	Hi, Matt here. Career coaching often comes through our workplaces, which can be a great starting
0:44.3	point, but sometimes you want space to focus on your priorities, not your organizations. That's
0:49.7	where strawberry.me comes in. It's career coaching you choose for yourself. You answer a few quick questions,
0:56.4	get matched with a vetted coach, and in many cases, you can start within 24 hours. You choose
1:02.1	the coach, you decide the goal, and you get to talk honestly about what actually matters,
1:06.8	whether that's a promotion, a pivot, burnout, or even leaving. There's no HR involved, no performance review lens,
1:13.8	and if it's not the right fit, you can switch coaches.
1:16.9	What I appreciate is the sense of agency.
1:19.9	When you're feeling stuck, waiting rarely helps.
1:22.9	If you've been thinking something needs to change,
1:25.2	you don't need permission to explore that.
1:27.1	Go to strawberry.
1:27.9	dot me slash TFTS. It's coaching focused on you. Think of it as therapy for your career.
1:39.3	We are all part of the creator economy. We're all creators.
1:48.9	My name is Matt Abraham's, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
	...

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